Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

MOTOCROSS AMANATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP MX SERIES (Left) Carmichael (70) jumps out to an early lead at the start of the second 125cc moto, followed by Team Yamaha's Kevin Windham (7), Team Honda of Troy's Michael Craig (15) and Pro Circuit teammates Casey Johnson (32) and Craig Decker (141). (Above) Team Yamaha's Doug Henry (20) debuted the new works VZM400F four-stroke at Gainesville and showed promise with two top-five starts. Here he battles with Team ChaparraVYamaha's Jimmy Button (18). Henry finished eighth overall with an 11-6 and Button got sixth with a 9-5. Windham said later. '1 also was thinking that good points were important because I'm not just going after race wins this year - I'm going after the title. I had zero points here last year because I was hurt and I didn't want to start this series out the same way." Craig was pleased with his wellearned third-place finish in the second moto. '1 knew after the first moto that I was fast enough to win, but my hand was giving me some problems," said Craig, who had to seek the medical attention of Jeff Stanton's wife Sarah, a sports therapist, in between motos but still wasn't sure if the hand was fractured or not. "It's a'long series and I'm looking for. ward to being up there every weekend. I blew the first moto, but I still feel good about my day. And I'm really happy for my friend Ricky, that he got a win here on his hometown track." Team Honda newcomer Scott Sheak was a disastrous 10th in the first moto, but the second time out he put in an inspired ride through the pack for fourth. The last move Sheak made was a confidence-boosting pass on teammate Lamson, who was not riding as smoothly as he did earlier in the day. An impressive sixth in the'moto was Honda of Troy's French import Stephane Roncada, who was deep in the pack (l6th) in, moto one. Rounding out the top 10 were Brandes, Deegan and the poor-starting Reynard. "I think I had a little bit of an advantage beca use I've ridden here a lot through the years, but the track's a lot different now than it used to be, but we'll have to wait and see at another race, I guess," Carmichael said of his surprising win. "Did I think (a win) would happen this soon? No, never." 250cc NATIONAL When the 250cc class blew into the first sweeper to start the National series the favorites Emig and McGrath were right at the front with the booming four-strokes of Yamaha YZM400F-mounted Henry and Husaberg-mounted Guy Cooper, right behind, followed by Larry Ward, Suzuki's Mike LaRocco, former class champion Mike Kiedrowski, Bradshaw, Yamaha's Ezra Lusk and Kawasaki's Ryan Hughes. At the back of the pack was the hardlucked Albertyn, who started midpack but then crashed into a downed rider in the Gator Pit. Team Moto XXX's Brian Swink also crashed hard early. Although Henry stayed close for a lap or two on the thumper, it was soon apparent that Emig and Lamson were in a class by thernselves. "I know there's 40 guys out there every time, but the way things are going right now - and especially after last year - it seems lik.e it's going to be Jeremy and me for a little while longer," Emig said of his friendly outdoor rivalry with McGrath. '1 really wasn't surprised that - it was just me and him out front." Larry Ward soon passed Henry but there was no chance of going after the leaders. Instead the HoT rider had to worry about the pressure coming up from LaRocco, Bradshaw and Yamaha's John Dowd, who started poorly but was now on the move. In the second half of the moto LaRocco finally passed Ward, but by then Emig and McGrath were more than 35 seconds ahead. Dowd's drive landed him in sixth behind Ward and Bradshaw, bu t after a few a la ps of close dueling with Bradshaw, Dowd was able to pull away. LaRo.cco might have been next in line but Dowd ran out of time ang LaRocco was still going strong. There was a period in the second half of the race that might have offered fans a glimpse at the future of motocross. Four-stroke rider Henry came up to lap fellow thumper pilot Cooper and the two ended up riding together for about three laps. As the sound of their engines boomed across the limestone quarry where the Gatorback track sits, fans seemed to be as interested in the pitched ba ttle between these two former 12Scc National Champions as they were in the Emig/McGrath battle for the win. Then again, there really wasn't much of a battle for the win as Emig pulled away from his nemesis. By the time he crossed the finish line Emig was carry- . ing a 12-second lead on McGrath. "I just tried to keep a good pace the whole time, keep my head together and not worry about what anyone else was doing," Emig said. "I know in the middle I kind of slacked off, but then I decided it would be better to close out with ~ome really fast laps to have my rhythm for the second moto, so I picked up the pace right ·to the finish. The bike is working great, the team is giving me everything I need and I feel like it's going to be a great year." '1 rode good, the bike was great, but Jeff was just going a little faster," McGrath said. 'Tm not even tired. I feel like I'm getting more and more comfortable on the bike, and I've always been a second-moto guy. Maybe that will happen today and I'll be in front of Emig instead of behind him." Emig again got the holeshot in the second moto, while McGrath was a little way back in sixth. Bradshaw was a quick-starting second, then came Lusk who DNF'd the first moto after an early crash - Henry, Ward and McGrath. Albertyn had another bad start and was back in the pack. Brad~haw kept some pressure on Emig for a few laps, but then the Kawasaki slowly pulled away and settled into a pace that no one on the track could match except for McGrath, who needed about half the moto to get into second. Once there, the Suzuki rider started picking up the temEo even more. By the time the two-lap signal came out, Emig's advantage was just on.e second., Just as the fans started to really cheer him Oil in the hopes of seeing the superstar earn his first win aboard a Suzuki, McGrath made a mistake in the comer, tipped over and lost any chance of catching Emig. '1 really had a shot but I just made 'a mistake and that was it," McGrath said of the spill. "I'm still really happy with the way I rode, especially since I was catching him so much before I crashed. I know you keep hearing saying this, but things are getting better with every race, I'm getting faster and stronger, and I know my best races are coming up." "I knew he was coming, but I was just keeping my pace and trying to focus on my own race," Emig said. "He was giving it his all to catch up, so I was just about ready to do the same to pull away again before he fell. It feels really good to start a series with a win like this." Bradshaw looked fast and smooth in third and ended up with his best score of the season - a strong third overall. "It always feels good to come back to Gainesville and race because I have so many good memories of this place," he said. "I really wanted to be up there with those other guys, but third overall is pretty good for my first National on this bike and with this team." While Emig and McGrath were going full tilt and Bradshaw was cruising, the rest of the pack was falling apart. Albertyn had ·climbed up and actually passed Bradshaw for one moment before the halfway flags were out, but then crashed in the very next comer and injured his shoulder, causing him to quit. Teammate LaRocco blew his shock out and had to quit, and Kawasaki's Hughes bent his bars down to his gas tank after a major spill on one of the jumps. Cooper quit with bike problems, as did Team Chaparral's Phil Lawrence. Finishing fourth after another deepin-the-pack start was Dowd, while Chaparral's Jimmy Button put in a great effort to finish fifth and sixth overall. . Then came Henry, his sixth place an improvement over the first moto, and HoTs highest finisher Ward. "I can't believe how bad my arms pumped up," Ward said. "I'm not saying that I would have won either moto or got second - but I know that I should have gotten third today. I think the outdoor season will go well for both me and the team this year, but I wanted to start the series a little better." £N

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